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Here is a list of common idioms that use animal vocabulary in Spanish. Idiom in Spanish. Literal Translation. Meaning. acostarse con las gallinas. to sleep with the chickens. to go to sleep early. A perro flaco, todo son pulgas. To a skinny dog, everything is fleas.
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1. Encontrar tu media naranja
Literal meaning:to find your half orange. Actual meaning:to find the love of your life. Example: Carlos encontró su media naranja y se casó. Carlos found the love of his life and got married.
2. Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente
Literal meaning:eyes that don’t see, heart that doesn’t feel. Actual meaning:if you are not around to witness something negative, or don’t find out about it, then it cannot hurt you. Example: No te preocupes por lo que los demás digan de ti; ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente. Don’t worry about what other people say about you; out of sight, out of mind.
3. Buscar el príncipe azul
Literal meaning:to look for the blue prince. Actual meaning:to look for prince charming. Example: Sigo buscando a mi príncipe azul. I keep looking for my prince Charming.
6. Ahogarse en un vaso de agua
Literal meaning:to drown yourself in a glass of water. Actual meaning:to make a problem bigger than it is. Example: Conjugar verbos en español es muy fácil; no te ahogues en un vaso de agua. It’s easy to conjugate Spanish verbs, don’t make it a big deal.
7. Ver todo color de rosa
Literal meaning:to see everything in pink color. Actual meaning:to be extremely positive and think that everything is alright. Example: Erika no se preocupa; ella lo ve todo color de rosa. Erika doesn’t worry about anything; she’s very optimistic.
8. Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente
Literal meaning:a shrimp that falls asleep, it’s taken away by the current. Actual meaning:pay attention or the opportunities will pass you by. Example: ¡No sabía que había examen! —Lo siento mucho. Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente. I didn’t know we had a test! —I’m very sorry. You need to pay attention.
11. Te comió la lengua el gato
Literal meaning:the cat ate your tongue. Actual meaning:usually said to kids when they’re very quiet and don’t want to talk. Example: ¿No quieres hablar conmigo? ¿Te comió la lengua el gato? Why don’t you want to talk with me? Cat got your tongue?
12. Tomar el pelo
Literal meaning:to grab by the hair. Actual meaning:to trick or make fun of someone. Example: No te estoy tomando el pelo, de verdad hablo cuatro idiomas. I’m not pulling your leg; I do speak four languages.
13. La curiosidad mató al gato
Literal meaning:curiosity killed the cat. Actual meaning:don’t be curious about stuff that doesn’t concern you. Example: ¿Ya son novios Juan y Martha? —No sé, ni me importa. La curiosidad mató al gato. Are Juan and Martha dating? —I don’t know and I don’t care. It’s none of my business.
22. Pan comido
Literal meaning:eaten bread. Actual meaning:when something is too easy. Example: Aprender español es pan comido. Learning Spanish is easy peasy.
23. A comer y a tomar que el mundo se va a acabar
Literal meaning:to eat and drink because the world is going to end. Actual meaning:don’t worry and enjoy life now that you can. Example: ¿No tienes que estudiar para tu examen de matemáticas? —No te preocupes, a comer y a tomar que el mundo se va a acabar. Don’t you have to study for your Maths test? —Don’t worry, you only live once!
24. Donde comen dos, comen tres
Literal meaning:where two eat, three eat. Actual meaning:there’s always enough food to share with someone else. Example: ¿A tu mamá no le importa que venga a comer a tu casa? —No te preocupes, donde comen dos, comen tres. Is your mom okay with me coming for lunch? —Sure! There is plenty of food for everyone.
28. Llover a cántaros
Literal meaning:to rain to pitchers. Actual meaning:it rains very hard. Example: Está lloviendo a cántaros por mi casa. It’s raining cats and dogs by my house.
29. Hacer un frío que pela
Literal meaning:to be so cold that it peels. Actual meaning:to be too cold. Example: Hoy hace un frío que pela. It’s too cold today.
30. Caerse el cielo
Literal meaning:the sky is falling. Actual meaning:when it’s raining too hard. Example: ¡Se está cayendo el cielo! It’s pouring!
33. Estar entre la espada y la pared
Literal meaning:to be between the sword and the wall. Actual meaning:having to choose between two bad options. Example: No sé qué hacer, estoy entre la espada y la pared. I don’t know what to do, I’m between the devil and the deep blue sea.
34. Salirse con la suya
Literal meaning:to get away with it. Actual meaning:to get your way. Example: Miguel siempre se sale con la suya. Miguel always gets away with it.
35. Echarle leña al fuego
Literal meaning:to add wood to the fire. Actual meaning:to make matters worse. Example: Déjalo así, ya no le eches más leña al fuego. Just leave it like that; don’t make things worse.
42. A falta de pan, tortillas
Literal meaning:in the absence of bread, tortillas. Actual meaning:if you don’t have something, try something else. Example: No tengo bolígrafo, pero tengo un lápiz. ¿Te sirve? —Está bien; a falta de pan, tortillas. I don’t have a pen, but I have a pencil. Does it help? —Yes, sure!
43. Ya salió el peine
Literal meaning:the comb came out. Actual meaning:when the truth about something comes out. Example: ¡Ya salió el peine! Fue Carlos quien olvidó cerrar la puerta. Now we know who did it! It was Carlos who forgot to close the door.
44. Ponerle mucha crema a sus tacos
Literal meaning:to put too much cream on your tacos. Actual meaning:when someone is too dramatic or thinks too much of themselves. Example: María le pone mucha crema a sus tacos en sus proyectos. María gets too dramatic with her projects.
So what exactly do we mean by: Spanish idioms. An idiom is a phrase or fixed expression, which is used with a figurative meaning, rather than the literal meaning. For example: Every cloud has a silver lining; A stitch in time saves nine; When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
May 18, 2012 · Do the bridge. Take a long holiday weekend. Dar alguien con la puerta en las narices. To give someone with the door in the noses. To slam the door in someone’s face. Mala hierba nunca muere. Bad grass never dies. The bad ones never die. We've tweeted and posted a lot of Spanish idioms.
SpanishEnglish (literal)English (translation)Detail (links)Tener mala lecheTo have bad milkTo be a bad appleSer pan comidoTo be eaten breadEasy as pieSer un cero a la izquierdaTo be a zero on the leftTo be worthlessCostar un ojo de la caraTo cost and eye from the faceTo cost an arm and a legEstar como una cabra – To be crazy. 2. Speak Spanish like a native with idioms about situations and actions. 8. Tirar la casa por la ventana – To spend a lot of money. 9. No hay moros en la costa – The coast is clear. 10. Dar en el clavo – To get it right.
Jul 13, 2024 · The truth is that you hit the nail on the head: I’m a bit worried. 3. Ser pan comido. The Spanish idiom ser pan comido is used to say that something is very easy to do. It can be translated as ‘to be a piece of cake’ or ‘easy-peasy’. Andar en bicicleta es pan comido. Riding a bike is a piece of cake.
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Idioms are those groups of words that combined in a specific way have a metaphorical meaning, not a literal one. The best way to learn these expressions is by context and not by trying to work out e the meaning of each word separately.
